Hospital system pays $65M to settle Medicare billing claims

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Prime Healthcare Services, one of the nation's largest hospital systems, agreed Friday to pay $65 million to settle allegations of Medicare overbilling in California.

The company and CEO Prem Reddy agreed to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that 14 of its hospitals unnecessarily admitted patients and also "upcoded" patient diagnoses, exaggerating their illnesses in order to receive more Medicare money.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Researchers Make Breakthrough In Sepsis Identification

Researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center have made a breakthrough that may help doctors identify patients who are at greater risk of contracting sepsis, a potentially life-threatening infection complication.

Sepsis occurs when the immune system malfunctions during an infection, leading to rapid inflammation that can be fatal.

Sepsis most commonly affects the elderly and people with already weakened immune systems.

Doctor Matthew Hayden, one of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock researchers, says the new findings may help doctors better tailor treatment to individual sepsis patients.

Septic Shock Accounts for Large Share of In-Hospital Mortality for Infectious Disease and Respiratory Patients at Top Michigan Hospitals

Septic Shock Accounts for Large Share of In-Hospital Mortality for Infectious Disease and Respiratory Patients at Top Michigan Hospitals

Severe sepsis kills 15 to 30% of the million Americans affected per year, according to NIH estimates. Septic shock accounts for a large share of those deaths.To pinpoint opportunities for better septic shock care and prevention, Dexur analysts examined in-hospital mortality rates in Medicare-eligible patients in Michigan.

Septic shock struck patients with a wide range of conditions. 17 of the 100 hospitals examined reported at least 11 deaths from septic shock. Index diagnoses included dysfunctions of nearly every organ, with renal and heart conditions particularly common.

See best, worst Upstate NY hospitals for treating deadliest infection, SEPSIS

See best, worst Upstate NY hospitals for treating deadliest infection, SEPSIS

Sepsis is the most common cause of hospital deaths nationwide.

It is a life-threatening medical emergency that happens when an infection sets off a chain reaction throughout the body. 

Without fast treatment, sepsis can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. It kills more than 200,000 people annually in the US.

This month the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began publishing sepsis treatment statistics for nearly all U.S. hospitals on its Hospital Compare website.

The statistics show the percentage of patients who got appropriate care for severe sepsis and septic shock. 

Text alerts help doctors to spot sepsis in time

A text message alert system could reduce deaths from sepsis afte trial at one hospital led to a sevenfold increase in the number of patients getting drugs in time.

Staff recorded a patient’s temperature, pulse, blood pressure and consciousness on a handheld device and if a pattern suggested that the patient might have sepsis, which can be fatal, their doctor or nurse was sent a text.

Sepsis deaths nearly triple in five years

SEPSIS deaths have risen by over a third in the last two years, with 15,722 deaths in hospitals recorded with sepsis as the leading cause nationally.

New Guideline for Minimally Conscious, Vegetative States Released

Three specialty societies have published a new practice guideline for managing prolonged disorders of consciousness (DoC), focusing on accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

The guidelines, issued by the American Academy of Neurology, the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, updates the earlier 1994 AAN practice parameter on persistent vegetative state and the 2002 case definition for the minimally conscious state (MCS).